Are you a car enthusiast on your way to Bella Italia?
Are you trying to decide if you should visit a car museum in Italy during your trip?
Car lovers shouldn’t miss visiting at least one (or two, or three…) of these incredible car museums in Italy! This isn’t a complete list, there’s a museum here that will satisfy every type of automobile enthusiast – from supercar fans to automotive history buffs, to those curious about engineering famous Italian cars.
I often get asked, “Which is the best car museum in Italy?” The answer depends on what you’re interested in, but I know you’ll find a favorite here.
Good To Know: If you like visuals, click on the YouTube preview in each museum’s description to see what the inside of the museum looks like.
Good To Know: Our family’s favorite car museums in Italy are the Ferrari Museum in Maranello and the Lamborghini Museum MUDETEC.
Visiting car museums in Italy with your family? Check out
Visiting Italy Car Museums with Kids!
Map of Car Museums in Italy
Most of Italy’s car museums are in northern Italy, especially in the ‘Motor Valley’ in the Emilia-Romagna region.
10 Best Car Museums in Italy
| MUSEUM | CITY | REGION | BEST FOR | FACTORY TOUR |
| Ferrari Maranello Museum | Maranello | Emilia-Romagna | F1, supercars, Ferrari history | Yes, but on bus |
| Lamborghini Museum MUDETEC | Sant’Agata Bolognese | Emilia-Romagna | Supercars, Lamborghini history, engineering | Yes, but currently suspended |
| Enzo Ferrari Museum | Modena | Emilia-Romagna | Ferrari history, historic models | No |
| Pagani Museum | San Cesario sul Panaro | Emilia-Romagna | Supercars, Pagani history, engineering | Yes |
| Alfa Romeo Museum | Arese | Lombardy | Race cars, Alfa Romeo history, engineering | No |
| Maserati Museum – Umberto Panini Collection | Modena | Emilia-Romagna | Maserati historic models | No, but available at the Modena Maserati Factory |
| Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum | Funo di Argelato | Emilia-Romagna | History of Lamborghini brand and founder | N/A |
| Mille Miglia Museum | Brescia | Lombardy | Vintage cars, Mille Miglia race | N/A |
| National Automobile Museum – NAUTO | Torino | Piedmont | Auto history, groups with diverse interests | N/A |
| State Police Car Museum | Rome | Lazio | Italian police cars | N/A |
Car Museums in Italy – Ferrari Museum Maranello
This is one of our favorite car museums in Italy. It’s flashy, and it’s got something for all ranges of car enthusiasts. You get up close and personal with Ferrari models, learn about the history of Ferrari, and you can design your own Ferrari (wheels, interior materials and colors, paint colors, etc).
Michael Schumacher and F1 fans will love the Ferrari Museum in Maranello! Check out the room of F1 race cars, along with F1 driver and race memorabilia, including helmets and trophies.
Sit in the F1 simulator to feel what it’s like to drive a race car.
The Fiorano test track is next door, but you’ll need to join the ‘factory tour’ if you want to see it. The factory tour is a bus ride around the factory campus and a stop at the Fiorano track.
Read more about Ferrari Museums in Italy – Modena or Maranello, Which Should You Visit?
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Ferrari Museum Maranello.
Car Museums in Italy – Lamborghini Museum MUDETEC
We also really love the Lamborghini Museum (MUDETEC – Museo delle Tecnologie, or Museum of Technologies). The museum is true to its name and showcases the Lamborghini brand using technology. You’ll see some historic Lamborghinis along with modern supercars.
It’s a small museum, but it packs a punch. Spend your time checking out the models on both floors and trying out the displays that use technology – the Lamborghini photo booth, the mirrored ‘brain room’ that showcases Lamborghini videos, and the video screens that show the inside of the Lamborghini factory. We also loved sitting outside and watching and listening to the new Lamborghinis being test driven on the road in front of the museum.
For kids, the life-size, interactive LEGO Sián is a hit!
You can also drive a racing simulator.
Read more about Visiting the Lamborghini Museum – MUDETEC!
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Lamborghini Museum MUDETEC.
Car Museums in Italy – Enzo Ferrari Museum
The Enzo Ferrari Museum (Museo Enzo Ferrari) in Modena focuses on the life of Enzo Ferrari and the history of the Ferrari brand.
The museum is made up of two areas:
- A modern, yellow, spacious pavilion (designed to look like the hood of a car from the outside) that showcases Ferrari models through the years and shows a short film on the life of Enzo Ferrari (displayed on one of the huge walls).
- Enzo Ferrari’s birth home and his father Alfredo’s workshop, which contains vehicle exhibitions and exhibits on Ferrari motors, logos, and the life of Enzo.
Good To Know: The Ferrari Maranello Museum has more on F1 (Scuderia Ferrari) and more of the newer Ferrari supercars. It also has the F1 simulator (vs the GT simulator at the Enzo Ferrari Museum).
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Enzo Ferrari Museum.
Car Museums in Italy – Pagani Museum
You may not be familiar with the Pagani brand, but you’ll want to know more about it after visiting this supercar museum in Emilia-Romagna.
Inside the Museo Pagani, you’ll experience Pagani, see the hypercars, and learn about the history of the brand. Company creator Horacio Pagani kept all his documents, notebooks, and model cars, so you can see and read about the evolution of the company.
See items from his Argentina workshop (including his Formula 2 car, which he built at night after work when he was in his early 20s). Learn about some of Horatio’s challenges (like the fact he had to make some of his own parts because Argentina was closed to imports). Discover fun facts – did you know Pagani was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci as a young teen? Or that Pagani spent time working at Lamborghini?
Pagani has a young history, with its first functioning car created in 1997 – the first Zonda. The museum has a modern, light, airy setting. The cars have cool carbon fiber bodies and beautiful interiors.
Pagani fans will love seeing some of the models in person. Very few of these hypercars are sold, so you won’t find many of them on the streets. Don’t miss the Roadster 5, arguably Pagani’s most iconic car.
If you can, we recommend doing a guided tour.
Fun Fact: Only around one car per week is produced at the Pagani factory.
Good To Know: What’s the difference between a supercar and a hypercar? The generally accepted definition is that hypercars are ‘the best of the best’ of supercars and are produced in limited quantities.
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Pagani Museum.
Car Museums in Italy – Alfa Romeo Museum
The Alfa Romeo Museum (Museo Storico Alfa Romeo) is in Arese, just outside of Milan in Northern Italy. Learn about how the company evolved from A.L.F.A. to Alfa Romeo, and see its historic, concept, and race cars in a beautiful, well-organized, and modern setting.
The museum is divided into three main sections: timeline, bellezza (beauty), and speed.
We love the bellezza section, with its unique concept cars, and the historic race cars in the speed section.
Fun Fact: In the speed section, all the cars are painted ‘Alfa’ red.
History lovers will enjoy the timeline section and learning about important people in the brand’s history, as well as checking out some of the first Alfa Romeo vehicles. You can also see detailed exhibits on the company’s work on airplane engines in the years around World War 1.
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See an excellent YouTube preview of the Alfa Romeo Museum.
Car Museums in Italy – Maserati Museum – Umberto Panini Collection
The Panini family farm hosts a collection of cars and motorcycles, including 19 vintage Maseratis. Umberto Panini helped ‘save’ the vehicles from being auctioned in London and brought them to his family’s property, a functioning organic dairy farm.
Inside you’ll find a small museum with historic cars (Maserati and others) displayed alongside racing memorabilia, trophies, and photographs.
The Collezione Umberto Panini is an excellent stop for car history lovers and those interested in the evolution of the Maserati brand.
You can combine your visit with a tasting of the on-site Parmigiano Reggiano, so it’s perfect for families or those short on time in the area!
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website. You must make an official request to visit the museum – it’s not open for walk-ins. Bonus – it’s free, with a donation recommended.
See a YouTube preview of the Umberto Panini Collection.
Good To Know: The Maserati Factory in Modena offers factory tours, which include visits to its showroom.
Car Museums in Italy – Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum
The Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum does showcase some Ferrari cars, but the focus is on the life of Ferruccio Lamborghini, the businessman. Inside the museum, you’ll see some of the first Lamborghini tractors, historic Lamborghini vehicles, and photos and Lamborghini Company memorabilia.
This isn’t the car museum for you if you’re looking for modern supercars.
Good To Know: Kids will enjoy looking at the helicopter, speedboat, tractors, and some of the cars, but adults interested in Lamborghini company history will appreciate the museum the most.
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Ferruccio Lamborghini Museum.
Car Museums in Italy – Mille Miglia Museum
The Mille Miglia (1000 Miles) Museum in Brescia celebrates the historic annual event, Mille Miglia.
Good To Know: The Mille Miglia (1000 Miles) was a famous race here in Italy. Each year, vintage (1927-1957) race cars drive from Brescia to Rome and back (1000 miles), using small country roads. Today, it’s no longer a race, but instead a rally. To participate in Mille Miglia, the cars must be on the official 1000 Miglia Registry.
Now, there are other Mille Miglia editions, like the Mille Miglia Green, which focuses on vehicles of the future (hybrids, electric cars, etc), and the Ferrari Tribute, which showcases Ferraris on the historic route.
If you’re in Italy during one of the events, try to find a place along the route to watch the cars drive by. Our boys have seen the cars on the route at Lake Garda and at home in Tuscany, and they loved watching them drive by (and collecting a red arrow sign when the event was finished!).
It’s a small museum that contains mostly vintage cars that you’ll see in the rally. There are a couple of supercars to keep little kids interested, but otherwise, this car museum is best for those who are already Mille Miglia fans. It focuses on Mille Miglia’s history and vehicles. There’s also an excellent gift shop for Mille Miglia fans.
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the Mille Miglia Museum.
Car Museums in Italy – National Automobile Museum (NAUTO)
Italy’s Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Turin is the best car museum in Italy for you if you’re traveling in a group with mixed interests. There really is something for everyone here!
What we love about NAUTO:
- It’s large (over 200 cars!) and thorough
- Displays are beautiful and diverse, and utilize technology
- Signs are clear, in English, and you can learn more by scanning QR codes
- You travel through automobile history – there are some incredible historic cars here!
- There are a variety of brands, from Italy and abroad
- The GT racing simulator lets you try driving on famous tracks around the world
- There are themed guided tours, or you can book a personalized tour that focuses on your group’s automobile interests
For ticket info and opening dates and times, see the museum’s official website.
See a YouTube preview of the National Automobile Museum – NAUTO.
Car Museums in Italy – State Police Car Museum
This small museum is best if you (or your kids) are really interested in the police (Italian or in general), or you really want to see the Lamborghini or Ferrari police car models.
It’s not in the center of Rome, so you’ll need to take a taxi or a bus ride. It’s about 5 km from the Colosseum (a 1 hr walk, or 25-minute bus ride with changes). I wouldn’t go out of my way just to see this, but it’s worth it if you won’t be able to go to any of the other car museums in Italy.
Good To Know: You can combine a visit to the State Police Car Museum with a visit to one of my favorite museums, Centrale Montemartini. It’s an old power plant that now showcases ancient sculptures and statues – incredible!
Tickets are 3€ for adults, and 1.50€ for kids, and the museum is open from Monday-Saturday, 9:00am – 1:00pm (closed June 2nd and all of August). The address is Via dell’Arcadia, 20 (Rome). When you arrive, you’ll see a huge Italian flag hanging next to a large white sign with Museo delle Auto della Polizia di Stato). It’s always best to contact the museum before you visit – you can call +39 065141861 or +39 0651606891. You can also email [email protected].
See a YouTube preview of the State Police Car museum.
Best Italian Car Museums to Visit with Kids
We love the Lamborghini Museum – MUDETEC and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello for visits with kids.
The Lamborghini Museum – MUDETEC is a hit because it’s a good size (small), there are some amazing, modern Lamborghinis on display, and there’s a life-size, interactive Lamborghini Sián!
If you’re further north near Milan, the set-up, variety of cars, and visual displays make the Alfa Romeo Museum a hit for kids (and adults!).
You may want to read
Tips for Visiting Italy Car Museums with Kids
Emilia-Romagna with Kids
What is Italy Famous For?
Italy Car Museums – FAQ
Are there any motorcycle museums in Italy?
Yes, there are quite a few motorcycle museums in Italy. Two of the most popular are in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna Region – Ducati (Bologna), and the National Motorcycle Museum (Rimini). You could easily combine a visit to the Ducati Museum (and the Ducati Factory) with a visit to any of Italy’s Motor Valley Museums (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Maserati).
